The present invention relates generally to a battery powered outdoor lantern and, more particularly, to a battery powered lantern having a remote control mode and a timer for automatically shutting off the lantern in the remote control mode.
Portable, battery powered lanterns are well known in the art. Such lanterns have been adapted to operate with a remote control and even adapted to float without impairing the operation of the lantern. Indeed, the Coleman Company, Inc. has sold a battery powered remote control lantern and a battery powered lantern adapted to float.
However, these and other prior art battery powered lanterns do not provide an automatic shut off feature to conserve battery life. Thus there exists a need for a portable, battery powered lantern that includes an automatic shut-off feature to preserve battery life. There exists a further need for a portable, battery powered lantern that includes a remote control feature and an automatic shut-off feature. There exists a still further need for such a portable, battery powered lantern that is waterproof and adapted to float without impairing the operation of the lantern.
The present invention provides a lantern comprising: a globe defining a substantially transparent enclosure, a light source mounted within the substantially transparent enclosure; a base for mounting the globe and light source; a switch for connecting the light source to a power source for illuminating the light source, the switch being adjustable between an off mode where no power is supplied to the light source and at least one of an on mode and a remote control mode; and a timer circuit electrically connected between the light source and a power source to automatically turn off the light source after a predetermined time as set by the timer circuit. The lantern is preferably waterproof and adapted to float without impairing the operation of the lantern
Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to prevent the lantern from being left on in the remote control mode, thereby extending the battery life. These and other objects of the invention will become apparent with reference to the drawings, the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, and the appended claims.